Best £15k used EV?
Discussion
kambites said:
Toaster Pilot said:
kambites said:
Why would eligibility for a shiny new battery be bad news?
Lead times are massive and in some cases seemingly never ending. There was a long running thread on SpeakEV last year where someone was getting royally dicked around by them. 
So still over 200 mile range, plus on the one occasion we had a long journey ahead, I just charged to 100%.
Battery took a few weeks: they ended up paying us £100 for fuel for my Volvo…..but could have taken a courtesy car (& they did have an EV).
I don’t see a big issue with the battery recall situation: only the huge upside of having a new unit at the end of it.
Toaster Pilot said:
mikeiow said:
Surely great news if they get a new battery?
Ours is 45k miles and 4 yrs old….had a new battery last year, fabulous!
For the second time in this thread, yeah, if they don’t take forever to do it, like a lot of people have experienced. Ours is 45k miles and 4 yrs old….had a new battery last year, fabulous!
Toaster Pilot said:
The recall is because of a risk of fire - and as said you’re told not to charge to 100% whilst waiting for it to be done.
Ah, ok. Thats a bit potentially serious then so i can understand how people may not be loving keeping them for too long.Might help the used values for other purchasers though.....
M1C said:
Toaster Pilot said:
The recall is because of a risk of fire - and as said you’re told not to charge to 100% whilst waiting for it to be done.
Ah, ok. Thats a bit potentially serious then so i can understand how people may not be loving keeping them for too long.Might help the used values for other purchasers though.....
Sure, it took about 12-13 months to get to us, but we now have a 4yr old EV with a 6-month old battery. What’s not to like?!
I've had a play on A Better Route Planner modelling the worst-case trip I'd do, 185 miles home to parents at Christmas, with various cars.
Renault Zoe 50 kWh
Hyundai Ioniq 38 kWh
Hyundai Ioniq 28 kWh
Peugeot e208 50 kWh
Leaf 40 kWh
BMW i3 42 kWh
Kona 64 kWh
The 40kWh Leaf is out, two stops and a total of 44 minutes charging. The others bar the Kona would all need a single stop of 11-27 minutes, all acceptable, except the i3 which would need a 35 min charge. Interestingly the 28 kWh Ioniq needs two stops but still totals 23 minutes charging, vs 27 minutes for the single stop in the 38 kWh - I know TP said this, but it's funny to see it actually laid out.
The Kona is the only one that would do it without a stop. It looks like quite a few of these have been for sale for a couple of months, so it seems plausible that ones at 16 or 17k could be bought for a grand off.
I know this trip is worst-case and doesn't reflect my intended usage, but I'm using it as a benchmark for range in general.
The flaw in your 185 trip info, is that you assume there will be no waiting at a charger.
For the foreseeable any rapid charging on major routes will likely be busy and potentially a pain in the rear.
Range anxiety has been replaced with charger anxiety.
I would only look at cars with the biggest battery/highest range you can afford.
For the foreseeable any rapid charging on major routes will likely be busy and potentially a pain in the rear.
Range anxiety has been replaced with charger anxiety.
I would only look at cars with the biggest battery/highest range you can afford.
superpp said:
For the foreseeable any rapid charging on major routes will likely be busy and potentially a pain in the rear.
If you travel during peak times and expect to be able to rock up to a MSA with 2 chargers, sure. Whilst there’s a chance OP is travelling along a route that doesn’t have any multi rapid hubs on it, it’s increasingly unlikely with more sites opening all the time.
Fundamentally I'm not that bothered about the 185 mile trip, it's the sort of thing I might do 0 or 1 times a year. Unless it's really snowy (rare) I can take the fun petrol car if needed, or travel at a less busy time, or accept a bit more hanging around.
The general use-case is up to 70 miles in a day, the ability to do occasional longer trips is nice but not vital, it's ok if I have to stop and charge even accepting it may not be totally convenient. I'd also want something with a bit of surplus range so I can do the ~70 miles without necessarily worrying about driving economically.
The upshot is I'm torn; part of me says that for £16-17k I could get a 64kWh Kona which would do any trip I'd attempt without a stop, so may as well pay a small amount extra for that. The other part of me is unwilling to buy a bigger, heavier car than I really need for 98% of its trips. At the other extreme I could pick up a 66-reg Ioniq 28kWh which would probably do fine (100-120 miles range), has a small light battery and will retain its road tax exemption past 2025, when all 17-reg onwards cars have to start paying. Arguably that's the best way to tackle the saving money element of this, and if I have to use the fun car for a few more trips, fine.
Anyway I'll need to run these options past my wife, who I imagine will rule out half of them straight away for reasons unrelated to anything we've discussed here.
bennno said:
E corsa seems exceptional value with fast charging and large battery.
True, it's the same Stellantis powertrain and platform as the e208 but £2-3k cheaper.I think probably I'd rather pay the extra for the Peugeot as it seems to be described as the nicer car to sit in and to drive, and I have fond memories of the 306 I had 25 years ago. However if I find that the French brand's "i-cockpit" and tiny steering wheel don't agree with me, the Corsa might replace it in the shortlist as a more conventional alternative.
Shabaza said:
This car will do well in excess of 250 miles and is under budget.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306178...
Just coming back to looking at Konas - this car AF20 RUV, and all the grey Konas at the bottom of the market on AT right now, are all ex-taxis.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306178...
The cheapest non-taxi is this teal car at just under £18k.
Private hire use doesn't invalidate the Hyundai 5yr warranty, just means a 100k mile limit applies which shouldn't be a big deal. I'm interested in if there are any other known downsides to taxi use (other than the primer grey paint job).
"Range, performance, handling, ride, comfort and convenience of charging are all factors although I appreciate obviously the budget means there will be compromises."
It's slightly over budget perhaps but there's a lot of Model S's around 20k now. Cleevely will fix most issues relatively cheaply.
With seats down you would have ample space for a bike and hatchback opening. Range, performance, comfort and charging should all be substantially improved vs your short list to perhaps justify the extra outlay. Possibily depreciate less than some of the others as well.
Edit: Ok, on closer inspection the S's are a bit of a gamble at around 20k there's Standard range Model 3's too though, with similar benefits. Slightly harder to get a bike in though but possible.
It's slightly over budget perhaps but there's a lot of Model S's around 20k now. Cleevely will fix most issues relatively cheaply.
With seats down you would have ample space for a bike and hatchback opening. Range, performance, comfort and charging should all be substantially improved vs your short list to perhaps justify the extra outlay. Possibily depreciate less than some of the others as well.
Edit: Ok, on closer inspection the S's are a bit of a gamble at around 20k there's Standard range Model 3's too though, with similar benefits. Slightly harder to get a bike in though but possible.
Edited by BBYeah on Sunday 23 July 16:17
Toaster Pilot said:
How do you know they’re ex taxis?
If we look at the example car in the link:Vehicle registered: 26/08/2020 (from the ad on AT)
Date tested: 26 August 2021 (from the government MoT check website)
Date tested: 21 February 2022
Date tested: 17 August 2022
If it was an ordinary private car, its first MoT wouldn't be due until next month when it turns three years old. The fact it had a test at a year old and two more since is strong evidence of minicabbing.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Same for the others, bar the many examples advertised by Saxton 4x4 which to their credit state "Ex Private Hire" in the ads.
BBYeah said:
It's slightly over budget perhaps but there's a lot of Model S's around 20k now. Cleevely will fix most issues relatively cheaply.
Yeah, early Model S around 20k, base Model 3s 22k-ish. I agree they have a lot to offer, but probably I don't want/need to spend that much.It's a classic case of scope/budget creep - start off looking for something at the £15k my current car's worth, well for a couple of grand more you could get a Kona with proper range, then for a couple of grand more than that you could get a Tesla with their charging network and even more performance, .... by the end of the thread I'm sat in a Porsche dealer signing on the dotted line for a £150k Taycan Turbo S. ;-)
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